News for Restaurants in San Diego February 2015 Archive

The team from George's at the Cove is launching Galaxy Taco in the former La Jolla Shores Market space in early June 2015. Executive chef/partner Trey Foshee has announced that his sous chef at George's California Modern, Christine Rivera, will serve as chef de cuisine of the new project. The 4,500-square-foot, indoor/outdoor eatery is expected to attract an equal mix of locals and visitors looking for that quintessential San Diego experience of beers, beaches and tacos. The short menu will feature Baja-inspired foods with local seasonal ingredients, ranging from cold seafood dishes and salads to seasonal hot appetizers, family-style entrées and eight varieties of tacos. (Galaxy Taco will grind its own corn for these soft-style tacos.) Look for a full bar with an excellent selection of tequila and mezcal. The restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner daily from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Galaxy Taco, 2259 Avenida De La Playa, La Jolla, CA 92037, no phone.

Jon Mangini of URBN Restaurants (BASIC Bar/Pizza in East Village, URBN Coal Fired Pizza in North Park, Vista and URBN Brewing Co. in El Cajon) plans to expand his collective with a fourth URBN Coal Fired Pizza location in North County. Slated to open doors in March 2015, the latest addition to Mangini’s restaurants will be in Encinitas and will have the same industrial feel of his other popular venues. The menu will feature thin crust, coal-fired pies reminiscent of the famous pizzerias found in New Haven, Connecticut. A choice of craft beers from the collective’s El Cajon brewery operation, URBN Brewing Co., will be available, alongside an extensive list of international ales. URBN Coal Fired Pizza Encinitas, 764 S Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas, CA 92024, no phone.

The former La Jolla Strip Club has been transformed into Draft Republic, a gastropub with more than three dozen local beers at your fingertips. The lively eatery has billiards, ping pong, shuffleboard and flatscreens, along with tasty fare from chef Mike Camplin. Try the maple bourbon bacon sticks with apple chips, the rosated butternut squash flatbread or the juicy burger. Draft Republic, 4282 Esplanade Ct., University City, CA 92122, 858-450-1400.

Café Gratitude, which serves up gourmet 100 percent, plant-based cuisine, is arriving in San Diego. The popular vegan restaurant has outposts in Downtown L.A., Venice Beach, Santa Cruz, Berkeley and more, and will now descend upon Little Italy in 2015. Café Gratitude focuses on organic, healthy eats and environmentally friendly products. The menu features dishes like chia seed pudding, gluten-free buckwheat-flax pancakes and Portobello mushroom tostados with cashew queso fresca and avocado.

The team behind Union Kitchen & Tap, located in both Encinitas and the Gaslamp, are rolling out a new gastropub in Pacific Beach called Backyard Kitchen & Tap. The modern-styled, beer-centric eatery will have cabanas, fire pits and living walls of greenery. It's expected to open in Spring 2015. Backyard Kitchen & Tap, 832 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beach, CA 92109, no phone.

News
Bytes

Bertrand at Mister A's Celebrates 50 Years in June 2015 During 2015, Bertrand at Mister A's will honor its 50-year legacy with special menus, a retro cocktail hour and a gala dinner benefiting the Old Globe Theater. The anniversary menu selections will take diners on a journey back to a different era, with dishes and cocktails of the day such as lobster diablo, beef Wellington, Caesar salad for two and baked Alaska. Throughout the month of June, the restaurant will offer a $65 prix-fixe menu with wine pairings, as well as other specials. On June 1, the original opening date, Mister A’s will host a black-tie fundraiser benefiting the Old Globe in nearby Balboa Park, which is celebrating its centennial this year. Bertrand at Mister A's, 2550 Fifth Ave., 12th Floor, San Diego, CA 92103, 619-239-1377.